Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas (left) reaches up to glove the puck as Montreal Canadiens' Scott Gomez looks for a rebound during the second period of an NHL hockey game on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012, in Montreal. The Bruins won 4-3 in a shootout. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson)

The Associated Press

Posted Feb. 16, 2012, at 1:55 a.m.

MONTREAL — Tyler Seguin’s shootout goal gave Boston a 4-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night after the Bruins squandered a two-goal lead in the third period.

Seguin hesitated as he drove in on Carey Price before firing a shot past the goalie. David Krejci sent a shot off the post on Boston’s first attempt.

Tim Thomas stopped Rene Bourque, Max Pacioretty and Lars Eller for his 24th win. He made 26 saves during regulation and overtime.

Andrew Ference, Benoit Pouliot and Patrice Bergeron scored for Boston, which began a six-game trip — its longest of the season — on a winning note following a 2-4 skid.

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Max Pacioretty and Erik Cole scored in the third for Montreal. Mathieu Darche had tied it 1-1 with a short-handed goal early in the second.

Price stopped 31 shots for Montreal, which had a four-game winning streak snapped on Monday with a 5-3 loss to Carolina.

Pacioretty scored his team-leading 24th goal 3:34 into the third to draw the Canadiens within 3-2. Cole tied it with his 22nd goal at 11:12, deking around Thomas and beating him with a backhand.

Bruins center Brad Marchand put a shot off the crossbar 2:41 into overtime.

Pouliot restored Boston’s lead at 2-1 with his ninth goal 5:07 into the second. The former Montreal left wing stick-handled past defenseman Chris Campoli to gain the slot before firing a shot past Price.

Bergeron scored his 17th goal on a power play 14:33 into the second to put Boston up 3-1. The tally came with 6 seconds left in a penalty to Cole, the second of two straight goalie interference calls against Montreal that gave the Bruins a 5-on-3 advantage for 1:12.

Ference scored his fifth goal 17:09 in. The defenseman beat Price with a shot from the top of right circle after Marchand intercepted the puck from defenseman Hal Gill along the boards behind the Canadiens’ net.

Darche tied it with a short-handed goal 1:39 into the second, driving the net to direct P.K. Subban’s centering pass inside the left post.

Bruins captain Zdeno Chara was struck on the chin when Tomas Plekanec attempted to clear the Canadiens’ zone with a slap shot of a rolling puck at the end of the first. The sold-out crowd of 21,273 continued to cheer even as Chara was down on the ice for several moments before he made his way to the dressing room.

Chara, who was on the bench to begin the second, delivered a devastating hit on Pacioretty last March. The Canadiens forward broken vertebra in his neck and missed the rest of the regular season and Montreal’s first-round playoff loss to the Bruins.

NOTES: Montreal RW Ryan White held Bruins D Adam McQuaid’s jersey in his hand before tossing it onto the ice at the end of their spirited fight 14:15 into the first. … Pacioretty was also called for goaltender interference in the first. … The Canadiens are one win short of their 3,200th, dating to the franchise’s days in the National Hockey Association.